Food for Thought Thursday - Cow's Milk is the Perfect Food . . .

. . . for baby cows, that is. C'mon, you knew there had to be more to that title!

Cow's milk is the perfect food for baby cows. It seems like such an obvious statement to me now, but several years ago, I didn't see cow's milk for what it really was. I just thought it was something that comes in a carton that I bought at Publix, but in reality (to quote Mike Adams, Editor of Natural News), it is "the mammary gland extract of another species".

It's amazing how the dairy industry has made something so weird seem so normal (that's some pretty awesome marketing!) - and how my perspective was so warped for years. I really don't want to know the story behind how humans first decided it was something for us to drink (but the comic that accompanies his article provides quite the visual).

As I'm sure I've mentioned in the past, dairy was the last animal food that we completely cut out of our diets, although we'd been consuming only a minimal amount for several years. Here are our reasons for giving it the boot:

- I know I've already used this one, but cow's milk was designed for baby cows. As a nursing mom to both my Sprouts, I knew what my milk was for - and it wasn't meant for anything other feeding than my babies.

- Humans are the only species to drink the milk of another species, and the only to drink milk at all past infancy/early childhood.

- We're not made to digest cow's milk (obviously), and even though some of us can learn to tolerate it over time, that doesn't mean it's good for us. Casein (the protein in milk) has been directly linked to cancer, and dairy consumption in general has been linked to a wide range of diseases.

- Most dairy cows are horribly mistreated, and their calves are sold for veal. And unless the milk is organic, the cows are pumped with hormones and antibiotics to keep them producing the most amount of milk despite the horrible conditions in which they're kept.

- Here's a new one I learned tonight (thanks to Natural News) - "All commercial milk from cows contains pus and blood. The USDA actually sets allowable limits of pus as a federal standard. Check MilkSucks.com to see how much pus is found in milk in your state." Yuck.

Looking to do some research? There really is a wealth of information available on the topic. As with any research, I always like to consider the source and especially what financial interests they have vested in the issue. Almost all information I've found about the health benefits of dairy have either direct or indirect ties to the dairy industry.

One of the best articles I've seen to date, The Dangers of Cow's Milk, is from a favorite website from my past, The Natural Child Project - a wonderful parenting website I used often as a reference when the Sprouts were younger.

If you're dairy free, I'd love to hear what made you decide to ditch the dairy. Share away!

What's for Dinner Wednesday - Polenta Stuffing

This dish is one of my favorite recipes so far from Appetite for Reduction. I should probably preface this by saying that stuffing is - quite possibly - my favorite food in the world, so it's not a huge surprise that I like this dish. Honestly, it baffles me that we typically save it for just two days a year (Thanksgiving and Christmas). I'm all for everyday stuffing recipes - especially one like that that's quick to prepare and healthied up a bit.

This week, I paired our polenta stuffing with some roasted asparagus and a tossed salad. Yum! It's delicious, easy and fast - how can you beat that combination? In fact, it has me thinking of experimenting with subbing polenta for bread in my favorite Thanksgiving stuffing recipe just to see how it will turn out.

Sprout Rating:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

Two for Tuesday - Pasta Primavera, Very Veggie Burgers & Tamari Rice with Veggies & Tempeh

This week's Two for Tuesday is actually a Three for Tuesday - three meals made from the same base ingredients to save tons of time in the kitchen. We started off with a mix of veggies - broccoli, carrots, zucchini and peas - then cooked them once and made three meals out of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

We started the week with Pasta Primavera, which I made with a whole wheat angel hair. It was delicious, but in hindsight, I should have used a heartier pasta like a fettucine to stand up to the cream sauce - next time. The picture isn't very inspiring, but it was way yummier than it looks!

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 large bunches of broccoli, finely chopped

8 carrots, finely chopped

3 zucchini

1 small bag of frozen peas

16 oz. box of whole wheat pasta

1 recipe Cashew Cream Sauce

Preparation:

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Pour a little water into the bottom of a large pan for the veggies, and warm to medium heat. 

2. Starting with the carrots (since they have the longest cooking time), finely chop all the veggies, tossing them into the pan as you go. Add the peas in at the end, and cook until all veggies are slightly tender.

3. When the water in the pot boils, cook pasta according to package directions.

4. Once the veggies are cooking and pasta is boiling, blend up and cook the sauce.

5. When the veggies are done, transfer 2/3 of them to a storage container for the other two recipes. Drain the pasta, and toss it into the pan with the remaining veggies. Add the cream sauce, and toss gently until well combined.

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

*  *  *

The next night, we took more of the mixed veggies and made them into veggie burgers. I've always been slightly annoyed by veggie burgers that seem to lack any actual veggies, so for several months now, I've been dreaming up my own. The inspiration came from the oddest of places - a little diner in the town of Celebration. It's not the place you'd think to go for great veg food, but their veggie burger is delicious. What I remember most is the little chunks of broccoli and carrots mixed into a base of chickpeas - so that's what I attempted to recreate.

I think I came pretty close, but I will do some tweaking on this one next time. The veggies didn't stand out to me as much as the diner burger, so next time I'll use fewer chickpeas to up the veggie-chickpea ratio. But, this recipe earned a unanimous five sprout rating so it's safe to say it's also good as is.

Just so you can't say I didn't warn you, this recipe makes a lot - we got nine burgers out of it. We ate five that night with roasted potato wedges and four the following night with salad. If you don't like the same meal two nights in a row, you could probably toss the leftovers in the freezer to enjoy another week.

Very Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

3 cups chickpeas

1/2 remaining veggie mixture (about 2 cups)

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons Bragg's or tamari

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chickpeas in a large bowl and mash so that no whole chickpeas remain. 

2. Mix in remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Knead the mixture with your hands until it starts to hold together. 

3. Scooping out 3/4 cup of the mixture at a time, form into a small ball then flatten into a patty.

4. Place patties on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes. If you prefer a slightly crispier burger, you can cook them in a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray instead.

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

*  *  *

The final night of our very veggie journey found Big Sprout in the kitchen cooking up a no-fry stir fry. I'll have to add in the pictures of this one later since Jim took the camera I needed today!

Tamari Rice with Veggies & Tempeh

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

Remaining veggies (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

3 tablespoons tamari or Bragg's

1 package seasoned tempeh (I used the Turtle Island Sesame Garlic tempeh strips)

Preparation

1. Cook the rice according to package directions.

2. While the rice is cooking, saute the onion and garlic in a little bit of water until tender. Add the veggies, stirring often until heated through.

3. When the rice is done, add it to the veggie mixture and mix in the tamari.

4. Chop the tempeh strips, and add into the rice mixture. Enjoy!

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 4 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 4 sprouts

The Best Cashew Cream Sauce

I've shared this one before as part of a recipe - and I'm getting ready to do it again tomorrow - but I realized that this one definitely stands on its own.

Here's my recipe for delicious cashew creaminess!

The Best Cashew Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch 

Preparation:

Soak the cashews overnight (or in warm water for at least 10 minutes). Drain the cashews, and place in a blender or food processor with the vegetable broth, almond milk, nutritional yeast and salt. Process until very smooth. Transfer the cream sauce into a small pan, whisk in the arrowroot or cornstarch, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes (stirring often) or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

Meal Plan Monday - Week of April 4

This week's meal plan is pretty basic, and I was able to stock up on most of our product at the farmers markets this weekend! The Sprouts were busy in the kitchen this week, and both are reprising favorites by request this week - orange scones for Big Sprout and pizza rolls for Little Sprout.

Advance Preparation
Make veggie tray (Jim)
Make salad dressing
Make bread (including bread bowls)


Breakfasts
Green smoothie
Green juice (me)
Apple with peanut butter
Toast with pecan butter and banana
Fruit & nuts
Oatmeal with fruit & nuts
Orange scones with fruit

Lunches
Soup with raw veggies & hummus
Tofu salad on green salad with fruit
Everyday Quinoa-Chickpea Salad
Hummus & veggie wraps
PB&J with raw veggies & fruit

Dinners 
Monday: Pizza rolls; salad
Tuesday: Polenta stuffing; asparagus; salad
Wednesday: Veggie-bean chili in bread bowls; corn on the cob; broccoli
Thursday: Southwest salad
Friday:  Chili-cheese potato skins; salad  
Saturday: Out 
Sunday: Shepherd's pie; salad

Sweet on Sunday - French Toast

Earlier this week, I heard the Sprouts in the kitchen and I could tell they were on a mission. Big Sprout had seen the French Toast recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance last weekend and was determined to make it as soon as I made more bread. Turns out, that's what he was up to with Little Sprout as his helper.

Just as an experiment, I decided to let them continue on their own and see how it turned out. They did ask me questions the few times they got stuck, but for the most part, they cooked this one all the way through on their own without supervision.

Big Sprout wanted to cut the bread, so they ended up with something more like French Toast Pieces than French Toast, but they declared it delicious and were very pleased with themselves - and I was, too!

Stay Active Saturday - Making Memories

Today's Stay Active Saturday post comes from my friend Kristin at Mind Over Body. As a mom of three and a personal trainer/endurance athlete, I thought she was the perfect person to contribute tips on keeping kids active. Her post today is a great reminder that being active as a family doesn't require any fancy equipment and has long-lasting benefits that extend beyond health and fitness . . .

Making Memories

Guest post by Kristin at Mind Over Body

While I’m not a kids’ fitness expert, I do consider myself quite knowledgeable when it comes to kids and fitness. I have three children, and I’m a personal trainer, triathlete and marathoner. Since the age of three, there has never been a time in my life that I haven’t been involved in some kind of sport or activity. That is why it is so important that my kids get the same opportunity.  

Not only was I in organized team sports, but a regular tradition at home was time spent riding bikes with my father (growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey allowed for having plenty of back roads to ride on that weren’t busy). And it was time well spent; teaching me the importance of enjoying the outdoors, learning safety and time with my dad that will last forever. 

My kids happen to spend a lot of time outside, even if it’s just in front of our own house.  When they start getting crazy indoors, I know it’s time to head OUT of the door. Riding bikes, scooters, hopscotching and hula hooping are some of their favorites but, there are days when my husband or I step in and set up mini “races” for them to do - sometimes for fun and other times we give them little rewards to the person who wins. They are all different ages so we usually give the younger ones a head start.

I like to do silly races too. Some examples instead of running are skipping, hopping, galloping and crab crawling. It gets their heart rates up while making it fun. Some of the best moments from my childhood were spending time outdoors with my family. You don’t have to go anywhere special to get your kids moving - and they will have special memories with you that will last a lifetime. 

Kristin is a wife and mother of three whose passion for health and fitness drove her to pursue her personal training certification. In addition to competing in long-distance running and triathlon events, she enjoys reading, beach trips and cooking delicious, plant-based meals for her family. Visit her blog or Facebook page for additional fitness tips or to learn about her personal training services. And just for fun, I had to include this picture of us running the Disney Princess Half Marathon together last year!